Asbury United Methodist Church Vision: To Make Disciples and Share God’s Love Goal for 20132013-2014: To Grow in Prayer and Fellowship E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.asbury-wellman.com Moody Colorado, Pastor Church Office: 319-646-2417 Parsonage: 319-646-2734 Cell Phone: 319-319-458-0745 Sunday School 9:00 a.m. Worship 10:15 a.m. January 2015 Worship Schedule for 2015: Asbury’s celebration of Holy Communion has shifted to the 4th Sunday of each month. This will pave the way for us to host Hospitality Sundays on the 1st week of each month, beginning this spring. These shortened services will be designed to accommodate the needs of Elders in our community and others who do not attend full-length services. This format will also facilitate longer fellowship time after the service. Calling All College Students! Next month we will be sending Valentine’s care packages to our college students. Many have changed residences in the past year, so we’d like to ensure that our records are current. Please email any student addresses that you have to the church secretary ([email protected]) or drop them by the church office. Youth Retreat Registration Open: A Winter Retreat is being organized at Pictured Rocks campground in Monticello from February 27—March 1st. Highlights will include a band, sledding, hiking, and swimming at the Camp Courageous pool complex. Registration is due by January 15, so if you’d like more information, please get in touch with Carol Hulseberg or Shauna Dudley-Javoroski. Scholarships for Methodist Students: The Iowa United Methodist Foundation has published a list of academic scholarships being offered for 2013/2014. The deadline for scholarship applications is March 15, 2013. Scholarships are available for students attending specific Iowa UMC-affiliated schools (eg. Simpson, Cornell, Iowa Wesleyan, Morningside College, etc) and Methodist Seminaries. The list of these scholarships can be found at http://www.iumf.org/umscholarships.html Lord’s Banks: Once again this year we will be collecting spare change in our Lord’s Banks. We’ll open the banks at Thanksgiving to give a special offering to the Lord. Last year we collected over $1,200—your pocket change really added up! Many other scholarships are available for students attending other schools. These general scholarships are listed at http://www.iumf.org/generalscholarships.h tml 1 Pastor’s Note The yearend is here and it’s time to reminisce about the good things we enjoyed. But it’s hard to count blessings when the sky is gloomy. We have seen a sickness and losses in 2014. I never thought I’d see a lot of them directly related to me. As a pastor I have to preach hope even to myself. Only by God’s grace that we get to focus. We know that when we look hard we have more good things going than troubles in the past year and we shall see more good things coming ahead. We saw the good. We have served a new average of about 60 recipients at Food Pantry. Christmas shoebox processed a record high 720. The Noisy Coin Offering has become a big contribution to the local and global mission. I have high hopes that we could do even greater mission work in the coming year. I believe that something good is about to come. How do we know that something good is about to come when we are experiencing horrible things today? We know because Jesus showed us. He went through a horrible experience: He was betrayed and denied by his own disciples; He was mocked; He was beaten, wounded and crucified to death. The sky went very gloomy as if everything was all hopeless. Yet Jesus knew that everything was leading to something eternally good that is to come. Salvation does not rely on what we feel now but on faith about the things to come. Easter was coming. God makes everything new for Jesus. The final triumph of righteousness shall come to everyone who trusts in the Lord. Life in the current world is caught in a wheel of good and evil. But we can choose the rotation of the cycle. Let us not be cowered by evil. Paul said, “Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21). We are to encounter bad things but we have to overcome them. The only way to overcome bad situation is to invoke the Spiritual perspective, to see everything in Christ’s eyes as leading to something that is eternally good and then strive hard to do good both under sunny or gloomy skies. Easter is just around the corner. Death shall be overcome. Sickness shall be no more. By God all evil shall be overcome by good and we can be a faithful part in it. Rest assure in God’s promise who said, "Behold, I am making all things new." (Revelation 21:5). Happy New Year! Pastor Moody 2015 FIRST SUNDAYS WILL BE OPEN HOUSE SUNDAYS Our Communion Sundays will be Fourth Sundays of the month. First Sundays are Open House Sundays. Even if we don’t have guests we will keep doing this the year round. Let us find ways to be a welcoming church. The first three months will be our learning time. By March we shall be ready to send out invitation cards and invite the people in town in the farms to meet the Methodists of Wellman. We have a one hour window of opportunity and we will try to fit in a short worship and fellowship. I encourage members to sit close to the altar so that the back pews will be for the Non-members. Wearing of nametags would be nice. As your pastor I have been studying how to deliver an effective short sermon. Please help Pastor Moody by giving feedback about the sermon and service. 2 Hospitality Ministry Launched: The Hospitality committee has formally organized and has identified its service responsibilities as follows: Finances as of 12/31/2014: Take charge of Funeral Dinners Monitor supplies for coffee time. Coordinate with committees needing assistance for refreshments during special occasions. ◊ Make recommendations to Church Council regarding needs in the kitchen. (Bert Walker is the Hospitality Representative to the Council). ◊ Promote Kitchen projects for memorial gift considerations, e.g. Dishwasher. ◊ Assist in hosting during Open House Sundays. The following individuals are in charge of monitoring the coffee time supplies: JanuaryAnita Randol; FebruaryBert Walker; MarchBetty Johnston; AprilLaverta Yoder; MayCarol Roush; June-Vi Young. If you identify a supply need, please contact the appropriate individual. ◊ ◊ ◊ YTD Gifts $116,165.00 YTD Budget Needs $124,800.00 Apportionments Due 12/31/14 Apportionments Paid 12/31/14 Apportionments Paid 12/31/13 $22,239.00 $19,039.00 $19,064.00 HELP WANTED: Jesus came that we might have life. We follow Jesus the Lord of the Church and commit to his church our presence, prayer, service, giving and witness. Be a part of the church service: we have vacancies in church committees such as Staff Parish Relations Committee and Nominations. You may also join active ministries such as Missions, Scholarship, Endowment, Finance and others. Please speak to Pastor Moody to become a part of these ministries. Food Pantry: A big THANK YOU to the Wellman Fire Department and other agencies and individuals who donated to the food pantry in the past month. Thanks also to everyone who has donated their points at Freeman Foods. Please continue to keep the Food Pantry in your prayers! JANUARY BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES!!! 1 Jim Palmer 3 Rob Adams 5 Carol Hulseberg, Olivia Greiner 6 Myra Davisson, Vincent Burroughs 7 Eric Parrott 10 Lori Owens 12 Dale Schroeder 16 Doug Powell 17 Jim Seward, Ada Hulseberg, Keith Hoskins, Maddie Edgington, John Colorado 20 Keith Semler, Kenny Kempf, Martha Hall 25 Robert Black 28 Lyndsay Adams 30 Teri Mellinger 3 4
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